


Terminal 2

by suzakukills



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-25
Updated: 2012-11-28
Packaged: 2017-11-15 00:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/521064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzakukills/pseuds/suzakukills
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryota Kise is an international pilot. Kasamatsu Yukio is a bartender at a Restaurant inside the airport - and really, Kasamatsu has to wonder the reason that Kise keeps coming back so many times a week - the food could definitely not be that great and all he ever ordered from him was tea, so why would a six foot two international pilot with the looks of a top model keep coming back?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a picture posted by tumblr user Aeroja (http://aeroja.tumblr.com/post/32104441757/waiter-bartender-kasamatsu-yes-please-pilot-kise), and the fic just sort of wrote itself - specially after watching EP 25 of the Kuroko no Basuke Anime.
> 
> *edit: To make it even more clear, the picture above is property of 阿肝 (http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=1475468) and of course I do not own KnB or any of it's characters.

He’s here again. Isn’t this like the fourth time this week? I thought international pilots were supposed to be a whole lot busier than that, besides don’t they get to eat at fancy places while traveling half way around the world? Is airport food really that great? Then again, I am a pretty wicked bartender, not that he comes here for the drinks, usually just sits in the bar and orders tea and whatever’s on the menu that day.  

Who orders tea anyways? Definitely not Six foot two international pilots with an _I just stepped off the runway_ look. But apparently they do. Or he does.

It’s good for business anyways, since the moment he sits down it won’t take long before a woman will slide her way to the seat next to him and try to strike up conversation. He smiles politely and pretends not to speak whatever language they are speaking, he could have fooled me too, with that blonde hair and those golden eyes. Except when he looks at me and smiles and voices out his order,  I can tell his Japanese is just fine. Guys like him probably have women lined up for them, so it’s no wonder he doesn’t even bother with whoever sits down next to him; Then again, talking to a guy like me, it’s like no foul done, huh? What’s the harm in striking up conversation with the bar tender, not like I’m interested, right? Right?

“Kasamatsu-San”, the blonde called out, a hint of impatience in his voice as he had been meaning to grab the bartender’s attention for a while now. His delicate fingers were tapping against the counter.

“Good evening, Kise-kun. You are back fast this time”, the tall man behind the bar gave him a polite smile and put down the tall glass he was wiping clean with a paper cloth. He walked down to Kise, so he could properly hear his order.

“Would you believe me if I said that my flight actually came back yesterday? But it wasn’t at the same time as your shift, so I went home and just came back” His smile was honest, those pearly whites could light up the entire airport if there was ever a blackout.

“Now, what would the point in that be? As I seem to recall, you are wasting away my perfect bartending skills by ordering tea every time you are here, so I really see no truth to your words”, Kasamatsu raised an eyebrow and gave him an annoyed smile, as if calling him out on his lie.

“Just because I am not drinking myself silly doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate you make a world-class tea, and I’ve been to China’s finest tea rooms you know”, Kise leaned over the counter and Kasamatsu took a step back, instinctively.

“So, one Lapsang Souchong tea coming right up” and Kasamatsu was gone, disappearing into the kitchen.

It had occurred to Kise that maybe Yukio Kasamatsu was not interested in men. Though, for him, it wasn’t completely uncommon to woo a self-proclaimed straight man into his arms, though really, how straight were they if all it took was the right words, some patience and a drunken night out to make them fall. But every single thing he’d done so far (that had gained him good results in the past) was simply not working. So maybe he really didn’t have any interest in him at all – nah, this was Ryouta Kise, he could have anyone he wanted, he just needed to try a little harder and be more patient.

Back inside the kitchen, Kasamatsu was having a discussion with Cook Moriyama. He insisted that there had to be a reason a man like Kise kept coming back, and it definitely wasn’t the spectacular food-self implications and all. Deny as he might, he had a point, and there were times that he could’ve sworn that Kise was hitting on him, like the way he talked or how he made sure to make comments that would be clearly misunderstood – like what he said before, how he wasn’t even in the airport and still decided to come here, for him, at the same time he had his shift.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t interested in men, Kasamatsu did some experimenting back in his first year of college and the experience wasn’t unpleasant at all. But he just hadn’t found a man that seemed to completely attract him, like that roommate he had. Not until he saw Kise, but being the type to self-deprecate behind closed doors, he figured that he was out of his league. But what if he wasn’t? There was still the fact that looks weren’t everything and charming as he may be, he was annoying half the time – once he started talking, he wouldn’t stop! Sure, Kasamatsu enjoyed his laughter (more than he knew, because it actually made his own heart smile), or the way his eyes lit up when he was talking about flying. He would never admit it, but he was actually a little proud of himself whenever somebody sat next to Kise and he pulled that “I don’t speak your language” stunt, because it meant he got to see a part of him that nobody else did. But his disposition was all-too cheerful sometimes. To put it bluntly, Kise was a sunny Monday morning and Kasamatsu was a late Sunday afternoon, the kind that screws your plan for a nice picnic.

The whistling of the kettle snapped him back into reality. He sighed and grabbed the cup, the herbs and the hot water – all arranged into a nice little tray and stepped out into the bar.

“Did you go all the way to China to fetch the herbs, Kasamatsu-san?”, Kise pouted.

“You could appreciate the fact that I continue to restock tea herbs that nobody in this restaurant drinks except you, you know”, he put down the tray and served the tea for the blonde, he shook his head in disapproval at Kise’s impatience and turned to leave.

Except that he couldn’t, a hand grabbing him my the cuffs of the uniform stopped him. Golden eyes smiling at him “Drink with me, come on”, and he let go of him, as if waiting for his answer.

“I am working”

“I thought it was a bartender’s job to keep care of his patrons, you know”

“If you want to spout more nonsense and talk to me, my shift ends at 11 you know”

That had come out more like an invitation and less like an annoyed complaint. Kise had definitely understood that as an invitation to hang outside the bar.

“Wonderful, I will be here then”, a small clap and a Cheshire like smile later – Kise drank the tea like it was some sort of Tequila Shot, left a 20 dollar bill to pay for it and turned on his heels as he ran out of the Restaurant, didn’t even give Kasamatsu a chance to say anything back.

Just like he had promised, at exactly 11:00, Kasamatsu saw Kise standing outside.

Moriyama chuckled so hard that Kasamatsu could hear him, even though he was standing in the kitchen. “Looks like it’s time to find out the real reason he keeps hanging around here”, he said amused.

“Shut it, Moriyama”

“I’ll close. Go on ahead, and I’ll see you tomorrow”

There was no use in fighting the situation, so a few minutes later Kasamatsu grabbed his bag from under the counter and walked out. Kise usually attracted enough attention with his pilot uniform, you can only imagine what was happening now that he was in casual-wear. This guy really had to be a model or something, there was no way he was an average guy, no average guy dressed like that.

“So, you really came”

“Of course I came, I said I would didn’t I? This is such a rare opportunity to be able to drink with Kasamatsu-san” that sing-song tone that he used to say his name made Kasamatsu shiver a little, what was Kise up to anyways?

“Listen, I have work tomorrow so I can’t stay up too late, alright?”, it was important to establish limits. Specially when he wasn’t so sure this was a good idea.

“What’s with the attitude? This is nothing like the kind bartender I am used to seeing in there,” Kise smiled at him and his face was all too close while he said that, as if waiting to spring out a reaction of him.

“Well, I have to put on a good smile for the customers, what you get right now is the real me”, Kasamatsu shrugged and started walking, not sure if Kise was going to follow behind him or not.

“The real you is just fine” Kise yelled behind him, a few people turned around as if paying attention to the small commotion and Kasamatsu covered his face in embarrassment, “What are you doing, yelling something like that in public?! Show some shame, damn it”, his pace picked up as he tried to get away from the scene. Not that he’d get too far anyways, Kise came jogging up behind him. “Come on, the first round is on me”, the blonde threw his arm over Kasamatsu’s shoulder as they walked out of the airport together, this could not get any more embarrassing.

But it could.

Riding the passenger seat to Kise’s car shouldn’t been a big deal, except the blonde had felt like it was necessary to open the door for Kasamatsu, and here they were attracting all the attention again. Considering they were about to get into a 1961 cerulean classic e-type jaguar. Was he really _just_ an international pilot?

“I’m not a girl in case you hadn’t noticed” Kasamatsu snapped at Kise, trying to look away as he faced embarrassment yet again. “I am well aware, I just figured you were tired, nothing wrong with doing something nice for you, is there?” his well known charm oozed out and he closed the door lightly and jogged to the driver’s seat.

The night went surprisingly well, though in retrospective it might not have been the greatest of ideas to go out drinking with an empty stomach. Kasamatsu was feeling a bit on the edge and couldn’t stop staring at Kise’s lips for the last part of the night, though it seemed like he didn’t mind; he kept talking and talking, sometimes their thighs would touch, as they were seated next to each other in a barely-lit secluded area of a hip new bar. They had their privacy, but still, the music seemed to be a little too loud and Kasamatsu had found himself getting closer and closer to the blond, placing his ear next to his lips, just to try to get a hold of what he was saying (and in his best attempt to _not stare at his lips_ and wind up doing something really bold- Like kissing him). It was hell to endure, his words came accompanied by his short breaths which seemed to caress his neck and bring a shiver up his spine when he chuckled as he told him a story, usually involving his piloting prowess.

The last thing that Kasamatsu did remember was the sound of some 80’s American rock band and the wind brushing his hair, as he rode on a passenger seat.

He woke up to unfamiliar surroundings and sky high windows in a 20-something story building. His head throbbed like crazy and he could barely keep his eyes open. Another painful reminder that he was no longer a teenager, things like going out drinking took their toll.

When he finally got around to standing up he noticed that he was wearing something other than his clothes, pijamas which were one-size too long. He shuffled around the room for his clothes and finally found them folded on top of a chair in the corner of the room. A hand-written note on top.

_Thank you for last night, the real you is definitely my favorite._

Some things came flooding back, like leaving the airport with Kise and going to some hip bar filled with people that were nearly as beautiful as Kise himself. He remembered drinking silly and the feeling of having the blonde whisper in his ear. He remembered laughing –honestly- for the first time in months and being amazed at how passionate someone could be for their job. The way his golden eyes looked even more feline-like when he was wearing matching gold accessories on an expensive designer shirt and how his hair stayed perfect all through the night.

Still didn’t manage to remember how he got inside this apartment or what happened when he got here. He wasn’t sore anywhere so it was safe to say nothing went down.

The sound of a door closing made him realize that Kise was still here and he could always just ask him. So he dragged his feet towards what should be the living room, and when he peeked in he found that, though that was the living room, there was no sight of Kise.

Instead a tall man, with dark skin and deep blue hair and dressed in a police uniform stared back at him. He looked a bit too surprised and his hand wondered down to his waist holster and rested on what must have been his gun.

“Who are you?” he asked from the kitchen counter, his voice intimidating and he didn’t move his hand away from his gun. His eyes looked tired, like he’d just finished  a twelve hour shift (something that Kasamatsu was all too familiar with).

“Isn’t this Ryota Kise’s apartment?” Kasamatsu shot back, too hung-over to actually give a damn about the fact that there was a gun in the room and the stranger had his hand on it.

“I said who are you”, the man seemed to be in no mood for this and he started walking towards him, he stopped when he got a bit closer and noticed the clothes that Kasamatsu was wearing and his expression relaxed. “Where is Kise?” he asked .

“I don’t know. I just woke up, and I’d appreciate if you took your hand away from your gun, I’m no criminal and I’ll be going soon. I thought you were Kise so…”

“Alright, I’ll wait here until you leave, so beat it” though unkind, the man moved his hand away from his gun and sighed – he leaned on the wall next to the room and motioned for Kasamatsu to get going.

In a record-breaking time Kasamatsu managed to get changed and hurried out of the apartment, without as much as the stranger’s name or an explanation from Kise himself.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time around it's Kise's side of the story and a bit more on what Aomine was doing at his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world needs so much more Kasamatsu/Kise, it's been hard finding inspiration, but alas, here we go.
> 
> Thank you all so much for your support and taking your time to read this, I am really happy; also please point out and occasionally forgive my grammar and other sort of mistakes, though it's no excuse, english is not my first language and I don't have a beta. 
> 
> Also, open for suggestions, ideas and so on, truth be told I'm not sure I want them to end up together .... just yet. Kise needs to sort out his Aomine issues.
> 
> Cheers to all!

It had been almost three weeks since Kise had been home – he blamed it on his hectic schedule with the airline (though, really, it was him that kept taking those long-haul flights) and getting dragged off to Paris Fashion Week to walk the runway (because he wasn’t quite ready to quit that side job as a model).  Typically, though,  he wouldn’t mind being away for so long. Yet this time around he felt anxious and bummed about it, first he pinned it on the fact that he had missed Kuroko’s birthday but later agreed to make it up to him as soon as he got home, yet it slowly sank in that what he actually longed for was being at a certain bar across a grumpy, no-nonsense bartender.

Which really, was scary enough to make him keep prolonging his time abroad – it had been way too much time since he had felt like this, no, let me correct that, he usually felt anxious and excited about going out with someone but that faded rapidly after the first date.

Kasamatsu proved him wrong.

So, if Kise had to be perfectly honest with himself the last time he had felt so conflicted had been with Aomine. On a completely different level though, with him he had been swept off his feet (both figuratively and literally) and he had admiration, turn to adoration and finally culminate in love.

Yet, with Kasamatsu he didn’t even realize what has happening, it sort of just fast-forwarded to the moment where his heart was going _bump-bump_ and the way his stomach turned every time he managed to rile up the bartender and got screamed at or playfully kicked for embarrassing him.

Despite the familiar and pleasant reappearance of these feelings, he still carried the memory of his only meaningful relationship with him. He still had the memory of the first time he met Aomine fresh in his heart:  He had been forced to take self-defense classes for a short film he had been cast in and the film’s producer brought in Aomine. Kise had not thought much of it, he just had to memorize the moves (much like he memorized everything else) and that was that.

Except that wasn’t that and the first time he found himself being tossed across the room without as much as Aomine breaking a sweat he felt something ignite inside of him. Finally something challenging in front of him, something that would require effort – an adventure.

The film wrapped up, but he still showed up at the University dojo to sparr with Aomine, both young,  both driven, it was natural and inevitable – but it was too much. With so much fire roaring, someone was bound to get burned. So after a few years together, their paths split and they tried to go on with their lives. Aomine decided to join the Police forces and Kise went to Flight School.  Flying reminded him of the first time he flew across the air in that worn out practice room.

Kasamatsu had an irresistible air in him, which explained why despite having a temper he still managed to keep  a lot of people around him who listened to him closely (This much the blond had managed to figure out from observing him every time he visited the Restaurant) – So, he figured all he needed  was to seduce him, bring him into his bed and get on with it.

But when faced with that possibility he could not bring himself to do it.

That night, three weeks ago, kept replaying over and over in his head – the half-drunk bartender lying on Kise’s bed, himself hovering on top of him trying to decide how to go on about this feast. Trying to figure out the reason that instead of going all out, he kissed him, deep and hard.

At first slowly, expecting a reaction from Kasamatsu, and he didn’t disappoint - his hand grabbed his  blond hair and his fingers settled at the back of Kise’s head. So he turned up the pace, he bit the dark haired man’s lower lip and instinctively Kasamatsu opened his mouth more, letting Kise slide his tongue in and caress his lips.

They broke off the kiss to breathe and the blond did not move from on top of Kasamatsu.

Their chests touching, he let his head rest next to him and their desperate gasps for air filled the dark room.

Then Kasamatsu slid from under Kise and kicked him softly but swiftly off the bed.

“Get your act together, if we do this there is no turning back and I kinda like you dropping by the Restaurant. That damn smile of yours could light up the airport in case of a blackout” he managed and sat up, his gray eyes seemed serious under the moon light peeking through the high windows. But his disheveled hair gave the blond an uncontrollable laughing fit and when Kasamatsu climbed off the bed to shut him up… he tripped in the unfamiliar room and landed face-first on the floor.

Worried at first, Kise rushed over but he found the liquor had managed to knock him out. He carried him into his bed and slipped inside next to him, it could have been an almost perfect moment, except for the drunk snoring.

Even now, as he replayed it in his head, he surprised himself at finding that snoring cute. His own fingers traveled up to his face to touch his mouth and catch himself smiling dumbly at the memory of that night.

Occasionally

Yet he had gone Houdini on Kasamatsu. Making sure to never be at the same time as the bartender’s shift at the airport. Finding another way to get to the pilot’s lounge even if it meant having to walk twice as much just as to avoid the Restaurant. Now, putting aside the fact that this had not been done strategically like all those other times with all previous partners, usually this would prompt a call or two by the other person, but he had zero missed calls and not even an email.

For the fourth time in the day, he took out his phone and glanced at the screen – nothing. Enough was enough, he was heading home and dealing with this. Ryouta Kise was no coward.         

_Brrriiing. Brrriiiing. Brrriiing._

His heart stopped.

It was ringing, the phone was finally ringing. He picked it up fast.

_Yo, Kise._

Though a pleasant surprise, it was not the surprise he was aiming for. Aomine’s voice called his name from the other side of the line.

“Aominecchi, Hey”, the blond kicked himself mentally as he failed to hide his disappointment, and there was no way that the cop wouldn’t notice.

“Who were you expecting? That fuzzy-browed guy from the other day?” though annoyed, he was definitely much more amused.

“He is not fu—eh, how do you know about Kasamatsu? Have you been spying on me?”, the blond tried to lighten the mood and get past the obvious.

“You told me to come get you so we could have breakfast with Tetsu, don’t you remember anything? You even gave me a spare key in case you slept-in”, Aomine didn’t take the bait on the subject-change and sighed, irritated at Kise’s slip up. “So I show up at your place, after a 12 hour shift and mr. eyebrows comes out of your room, wearing your pijamas, real subtle, Kise, even for you” he finished.

“Ah, I totally forgot, I am so sorry, I will totally make it up to you and Tetsu when I get back, okay? Besides, you could have called earlier, it’s been weeks since then, you know”, Kise didn’t comment anything on the whole –guy-wearing-your-pijamas issue.

“If you wanted to make me jealous you could’ve just texted me a picture of the guy, no need to make me actually run into him – I almost shot him you know, I thought he was some thief or something”, clearly he wasn’t going to let go. “and I have been calling you, that damn phone of yours probably has no reception”, a woman’s voice shrieking in the background suddenly interrupted Aomine, “ah, listen I got to go, but call me when you’re back in Japan. Bye” and without even waiting for a reply he hung up.

Great. Because Aomine meeting Kasamatsu was probably not awkward at all.

Enough was enough, one packed suitcase and 12 hours later Kise arrived in Japan and the first place he could think of walking into was that not-too-shabby restaurant in terminal 2.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must admit that we ARE GETTING NOWHERE, and the reason for that is that I'm not sure I want them to have a happy ending, Aomine keeps getting in the WAY.
> 
> Thank you so much for your support, it really makes me glad to know that I'm writing something you enjoy~ please continue to trust me, and have a lovely weekend :D 
> 
> all ideas/prompts suggested are taken into account, so please, go ahead~

“It wouldn’t hurt you to smile a little, this is the third customer that has practically ran out of here” Moriyama peeked out of the kitchen and chuckled, a defeated Kasamatsu grabbed the Money tray from the bar and put it back in the register.

“I’m a bartender not a therapist” he spat back and pressed down on the buttons to open the register, it wouldn’t open. He sighed and hit it with the palm of his hand, the drawer opened and Kasamatsu brought his hands to the sides of the register, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down, violence always seemed to work.

“Go outside, get some air and change the Special of The Day Menu while you are at it!”, Moriyama shouted from the kitchen.

 _There is no outside, we are inside an airport. Surrounded by pilots and their stupid uniforms that remind me of that stupid Kise_ , the bartender mused. Even so, he went outside the restaurant, he squatted over the entrance and edited the specials on the tiny blackboard they kept outside.

“What’s today’s special?”

“If you wait just a second, you will be able to—“ he froze for a second as he recognized the voice and turned around to meet golden hair.

“Hey”, Kise smiled and pulled his sunglasses over his head, his golden eyes looked a bit puffy.

“You look tired”, Kasamatsu managed to say and stood up, he had practiced this conversation in his head so many times, but he figured he would at least get a heads up of when the blond was coming.

“Well, it’s nice to see  you too”, the blond replied,  his shoulders slightly slumped but his uniform perfect. A small suitcase in his right hand.

“I see you are still coming and going”, the dark-haired man wiped his hands clean in his apron and looked away, a part of his had wanted to believe that Kise had been abroad all this time, but from the looks of it he had to have been here, that suitcase was too small for a three week trip.

Kise picked up on it and smiled embarrassed, “aren’t you going to invite me in?”, he asked and put his free hand on Kasamatsu’s shoulder, involuntarily the bartender shuddered and shook of his hand.

“You are a patron here, you are welcome to come and go as you please!” Kasamatsu went inside and the blond followed.

He went around to the inner side of the bar and put the chalk and eraser away, as he opened the cabinet the contents fell out; the loud noises made Moriyama peek out, as he did he voiced “Can you stop breaking my glasswear, it won’t make that pilot come back any faster…” as he finished the sentence he hushed suddenly, finally taking in the scene.

The blond sat by the bar, looking mighty surprised and Kasamatsu’s brow was twitching, apparently the last three weeks had been rough on the glasses.

Moriyama laughed loudly and waved his hand, “I’m joking, joking of course” he pushed the door to go back in the kitchen.

The sound of the revolving door going back and forth seemed to be the only sound in the whole restaurant.

“I will bring your tea”, Kasamatsu said and practically disappeared into the kitchen.

When he got back the blond was gone, he sighed and put down the tea tray in Kise’s empty seat.

“I missed your tea”, he heard suddenly and turned to see him again, looking much more refreshed “You didn’t think I’d leave did you?” Kise smiled innocently and sipped the tea.

“Are we gonna talk about what happened that night?”

The blond almost spit out his tea, he never figured that Kasamatsu would be so direct about it, “its none of my business but you really have some nerve bringing me home and leaving me there to run into your lover the next morning”, the bartender turned his back while he pretended to clean the bottle cabinet.

“Lover?”

“Don’t play dumb. The thing is that Moriyama really appreciates your patronage and its good for the bar… so let’s just forget this happened”, he put down the vintage whiskey bottle and whirled to meet Kise, his eyes determined.

“Alright…”, the blond nodded.

 “Actually no, I don’t agree”, he stood up as well “that wasn’t my lover, it was an old friend. I had a really good time and I know you did too! I want us to see each other –“ He was interrupted by his phone ringing, he took it out to hung up but saw Aomine’s name on it.

 

He picked up the phone and Kasamatsu retreated –instinctively-, being used to giving client’s their space when they had a phonecall, but before he could move Kise had a grip on his sleeve.

“Yes, Aominecchi”, the blond smiled as he tried to hold the phone and Kasamatsu at the same time; the bartender looked away, feeling like he was invading in a private moment as he heard him call the other so familiarly, a pang of jealousy ran up his spine. “I understand you met Kasamatsu-san the other day”, the blond continued, Kasamatsu’s eyes widened at the mention of his name, he was talking to that guy? “Well, you see, truth is that I am dating him. I just wanted to say that”, Kise sounded perfectly confident, he moved the phone from his ear and hung up.

“You can’t back out now”, he continued as he put his cellphone away, his hand still gripping Kasamatsu’s sleeve. The bartender brought his hand to rest atop of Kise’s and gently pryed the grip away.

“I’m off at 9 today”, he blushed and did that adorable-sideway-lip-thing where he grimaced slightly.

The blond lit up and picked up his suitcase, he searched in his front pocket for money to pay for his tea and got ready to leave.

“No, no, this one is on the house”, the bartender shook his head.

“I’ll see you at 9 then”.

What was it about Kise that made Kasamatsu turn into a high school girl? Inside he was burning up the entire time. He had given up entirely too easily too, like he didn’t even bother to contradict the blond when he said that they were dating. But he found himself not really wanting to do so.

This was the first time, since he had come back to Japan, that he felt like he was alive again, ever since the accident in college he felt his life had stopped.

He had it all. He played basketball all the way through high school, he got a scholarship for University and figuring he’d always have basketball he majored in music – no one expected what was to come next, he injured himself in his last year, busting his knee cap and the doctors said that he would never set foot on a professional basketball court, and then he was in the first plane back to Japan. It had been three years since then, luckily for him he ran into an old classmate, Moriyama, and he offered him a job; so when he wasn’t working two part-time jobs he was writing songs and playing the guitar, trying to get somewhere with his music, and his efforts weren’t completely wasted, he managed to sign a record with a small-time label, but it was better than nothing.

There really wasn’t a very high expectancy out there for people who held degrees in music. So he was already ahead of the average.

He was honest with himself though, and Kasamatsu knew that the overworking himself was some sort of penance he was paying. He wasn’t sure he was ready to forgive himself for screwing everything up before – and it scared him, the accident didn’t only affect him, it touched everything that was his, everyone he held dear, he disappointed not only himself, but his family, his parents.

So he dared not go back home, it was like he had just fallen off the face of the earth after it happened, and most nights he told himself that he deserved it.

So what was it about Kise that made him feel like he could have his life back?

The day went by slowly, weekdays usually did, and having nothing to keep him busy meant having to question himself all throughout the day.

But he had to brave it out, just like the blond had, there were no guarantees, no assurance that things would be okay, not even if you worked your ass off or behaved like you were supposed to, sometimes things just went wrong.

So, why not enjoy himself?

One hour before turning in for the day, an unexpected patron came to the Restaurant.

“Yo, fuzzybrows”, a dark-skinned man with even darker blue hair sat by the bar, and really, Kasamatsu had a hard time remembering him, without a gun pointed to his face and all. “So, are you really dating, Kise?”, he continued.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've decided on who Kise will end up with, yes, yes.
> 
> Also, special feature today bringing you all of the Kiseki no Sedai~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't begin to thank you enough for sticking with me through this, only one chapter left! the encouragement i've received is wonderful and reading through your comments has helped me bring this story alive and together, thank you and please tell me if you have any suggestions. OTL.

“Aominecchi…” the familiar voice interrupted the meeting, “What are you doing here?”, Kise stood in the doorway, his shirt with the top 2 buttons opened and a loose grey carding, black jeans to match that just had to be tailored and biker boots – he was clearly looking to stun.

He seemed shocked, in fact he had unwillingly dropped his car keys.

Aomine stood up right away, “Kise!” he called out and walked towards him; but the blond wasn’t smiling, not like he usually did.

Kasamatsu picked up the keys from the floor and handed them to Kise, “You are early”, he ignored the cop.

“I- I am, but um, what is Aominecchi doing here?” Kise smiled nervously and fiddled with the keys.

“I think you should ask him that yourself”, the dark-haired man squeezed Kise’s shoulder and went outside to fetch the specials menu.

“Please don’t do this again”, Kise sighed and sat down in one of the first tables, as further from the bar as possible.

“What are you talking about?” Aomine pulled the other chair and sat down, it had been so long since he had last seen Kise’s eyes light up the way they did when he saw Kasamatsu.

“I promise I will make it to Sunday’s BBQ but please leave now, I will see you all this weekend” Kise placed his hand atop Aomine’s.

“I don’t know what you are talking about”, he moved his hand away and crossed his arms. “I am here to do something work related and just happened to stop here for a drink”, whenever he lied Aomine’s upper lip crooked to the sideway.

Kise smiled, understanding, “Alright… I have a—“, but he was cut short by the blue haired man, “since I am here already, why don’t we go for dinner together?”

“Isn’t Momoichi waiting for you?” Kise’s voice lowered at the mention of her name, but his smile never faltered.  “Besides, I have a date with Kasamatsu-san”, the blond went on.

“Whatever, I haven’t seen you in weeks and the first thing you wanna do is hangout with this guy”? , he stood up to leave, pressuring the blond.

“I.. I will see you this weekend”,  Aomine’s cue to leave presented itself in the form of Kasamatsu arriving at the table, his clothes changed. A simple dark grey shirt with no writing or brands  and a hooded jacket, his pants were regular jeans and a pair of Jordan kicks. He couldn’t look more out of place standing next to Kise.

“Fine”, Aomine growled and left in a hurry, “Wait.. I-“Kise reached out his hand as if going after him.

“Go after him”, Kasamatsu said.

And for a second he would have.

“No, let’s go have dinner now”, the blond flashed his trademark million dollar smile.

“Fine, but we are not taking your car”

“Eh? So what do I do? Just leave it here?”

“I live close by”

“Is that an invitation to stay at your place?” Kise winked at him, as they walked out of the Restaurant.

“We are taking your car” Kasamatsu backtracked.

Dinner went great. Before they knew it, the restaurant was closing, the place had been picked by Kasamatsu. It was a small, low-key place.

But this time he wanted things done right, so Kasamatsu politely declined Kise’s offer to go to a bar and the blond drove him home.

“This Sunday don’t make plans… I will come pick you up at 1 pm”, the blond didn’t even wait for him to reply and drove off.

Kise didn’t call him for the next three days, and really, was their plan for Sunday still standing?

**

“Kise! Who is this?” a tall red/head stood in the door way, almost as tall as Kise, he had the build of a firefighter, or something of the likes.He had an apron on which substantially reduced his menacing appearance.

“Kagamicchi, this is Kasamatsu-san!”, the blond put his arm around the smaller man and let himself In; Kasamatsu noticed that he didn’t have a shoe space, matter of fact the layout seemed rather occidental, it made him remember his days abroad.

“Nice to meet you…” Kasamatsu trailed off, not sure what he should refer him as, “Kagami Taiga”,  the red-head smiled earnestly and closed the door behind them.

“Kagami-kun, the fire is too big”, a small blue-haired man appeared out of nowhere and stood next to Kagami.

His light blue eyes matched his hair, his face looked blushed and his white shirt was stained with what Kasamatsu asummed was coal marks, he had clearly been battling it out.

“Kurokocchi”, Kise leapt from his side and threw himself at Kuroko.

He ended up empty handed though and the small man stood behind Kagami, “You are so mean, you won’t let me hug you” the blond whined and followed Kuroko with his eyes.

“Kise-kun, where is my birthday present?”, he replied.

As if accustomed to their antics, the red-head excused himself, “I will go check the grill” he saidand Kagami ruffled ruffled Kuroko’s head before disappearing into the hallway that lead to the terrace.

Kasamatsu felt oddly out of place, “Are you Kise-kun’s friend?” the small man moved towards him, “Yes, Kurokocchi this is Kasamatsu-San”, Kise leapt back and stood between them.

“Tetsu, we’re out of-“, Aomine came from the same hallway that Kagami had used to exit, and he froze as he took in the sight before him, his expression hardened, he crossed his arms and glared at Kasamatsu.

“Aomine-kun, Takao-kun said he would bring some beer”, Kuroko whirled around to meet the dark skinned man.

The cop made some grunting noises, as if disapproving of the people in the room, “What is he doing here?”, he asked as he put his arm around Kuroko’s shoulder, leaning down to meet Kasamatsu’s eyes.

“I am thirsty, let’s get something to drink”, the blond took Kasamatsu’s hand and walked inside the kitchen without as much as a good-bye to both.

“Don’t hold my hand, I can walk by myself”, the bartender snatched away his hand when they were inside the kitchen.

It was huge, just like the rest of the house; a countertop in the middle. A big stove with two ovens were matching the fridge’s metallic grey. The fridge’s door were large enough to touch the roof, a couple of pictures were placed with magnets on the doors, it was Kuroko surrounded by a group of small children, the photo was labeled with a year and a number of the class, apparently he was a teacher.

“So, Uh, why did you bring me here? Looks like to me like it’s a very personal get together”, the dark haired man looked away.

“I thought it might be a good idea to introduce you to Himuro-kun and Momoichi, they are both part of the entertainment world and you told me before that you were working on a Cd, remember?”, Kise opened the door to the frige to take out two beers, avoiding Kasamatsu’s eyes.

“Ah, thanks”, the bartender took his beer from the blond’s hand and allowed his fingers to touch Kise’s, their hands touching for a second longer than required.

The blond’s cheeks reddened and without thinking too much he stepped forward and kissed Kasamatsu.

Their lips touching, they forgot where they were. Kise tasted of mint, the blond placed his hand on kasamatsu’s nape neck and moved closer, pushing him against the countertop.

The sound of the kitchen’s revolving door swinging open brought them back to their senses.

Kasamatsu spun around and unadvertedly kicked Kise in the groin, the blond doubled over.

A tall- no, a huge man with purple hair and uninterested eyes was accompanied by a shorter man - only in comparison. He was beautiful, with white skin that looked like Kise’s and dark black eyes, he had a beauty mark right under his right that eye accentuated his features.

The moment he saw him, Kasamatsu felt like had seen him before.

“Ryouta-kun, long time no see”, the dark-haired man said, he approached the bar and placed a big golden box in the counter, the logo in the front read _Murasakibara Pattiserie,_ clearly it was a some sort of pastry, it gave off a delicious scent. “Yo, Kise” the tall man smiled and he took a lollipop out of his mouth to speak.

“Murasakibarachi, Himuro-san!” Kise waved enthusiastically as he tried to compose himself.

Kasamatsu opened his beer and sipped it, wondering if he should introduce himself, but before he could even decide, Kise made up his mind for himself. “This is my friend, Kasamatsu-san, the one I told you about”, the blond patted him on the back.

“I am Himuro Tatsuya and this is my partner Atsushi”, he smiled politely and stood in place, “Murasakibara,”the tall man corrected, “you can call me Murasakibara” he repeated and wrapped his arm around Himuro’s back and neck.

“It is nice to meet you, excuse me Himuro-san but I feel like I have seen you before”, Kasamatsu said as he bowed politely.

“Muro-chin has been in movies and television”, though he answered Murasakibara’s uninterested gaze switched to a suspicious one as he eyed Kasamatsu.

“It is as Atsushi said! Though I don’t know Kise from the Entertainment Industry, the actually goes way back with Muro chin and that is how I met him,”Himuro said.

“Eh? Kise’s in the entertainment industry?”

“What is this, Kasamatsu-san, you weren’t aware that Ryouta-kun is a world class model?”, Himuro’s voice dripping with sarcasm.

Surprised, and for a moment wondering if it was true or not – though he had his suspicions, after all Kise looked the party, Kasamatsu figured something that important would’ve already come out in their conversations – that’s around the time when he realized that Kise had yet to speak about himself (other than his pilot job), he had mostly been asking and wanting to hear Kasamatsu speak..

He turned around to meet the blond’s eyes, golden staring down at the floor.

“Come on, Atsushi, let’s go greet Taiga” a devilish smirk traced upon Himuro’s lips and he walked out of the kitchen, Murasakibara in tow.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, it makes a lot more sense now” Kasamatsu took another drink of his beer as if gulping down his anxieties.

“I just hope we can work together, maybe I can even star in your music video” Kise said.

Before Kasamatsu could reply, someone barged in again. A petite girl with pink hair, wearing a beautiful white dress that heart shapped neck line that accentuated her big bust. She had pink eyes as well, in short she was gorgeous.

If this wasn’t enough to make you feel a little self-conscious, then what was? Was every single of of Kise’s friends in his league? Kasamatsu had never felt like he wasn’t good enough for someone, or underrated, but he had to admit that since the blond had walked into his life he had become much more aware of things like fashion and looks.

She was holding a small plastic Tupperware, it was transparent so it was easy to see that it was filled with a black substance, like some sort of cream. A strange smell coming from it, highly contrasting with the sweet one that Murasakibara and Himuro had brought in.

“Ki-chan!” She skipped to the counter and placed down the Tupperware.

 “What is this, momoichi? Are you going to  surprise us with a new recipe?” the blond took a couple steps away from the container.

“I am taking cooking lessons, Muk-kun introduced me to a Chef friend of his”, she smiled proudly.

“Have you seen Dai-chan”? she asked.

“Aominecchi should be at back with Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi”, Kise answered.

“Ah, alright, it’s been such a long day today! I didn’t think I’d make it out of the office on time”, she shrugged, ”By the way is this Kasamatsu Yukio-san?”, she met Kasamatsu’s eyes as if analyzing him, “He is a pretty good looking guy up close”, she continued.

“Give me your demo and we will figure something out” she smiled pleasantly, gave a quick wave and rushed out of the kitchen.

“She is Aominecchi’s… wife” Kise said and finished his beer in a single gulp.

It was like a puzzle was coming together.

“She’s a record producer at Avex Group”

“I really appreciate you doing this for me, but at the moment there’s a lot of questions I have to ask you, it’s only fair I know about you as much as you seem to know about me”, Kasamatsu also drank down his beer, feeling anxious. “You don’t have to answer them all now, just promise me we’ll be honest with each other”, the braveness that came with the sudden rush of alcohol portrayed itself, helping the bartender say things like these.

But before Kise could reply, the door swung open again.

“…But, Shin-chan, we promised Kuroko we’d be here all afternoon”, a black-haired, black-eyed man stated. He was discussing things with a taller green-haired, green-eyed guy.

“Takao, it was already predicted that a sudden event would require my attention today, it was in the horoscope. You know I have to do what I have to do, besides a call from the hospital can’t be easily ignored”, the other man replied.

They had yet to see they weren’t alone.

“Takao-kun, Midorimacchi”, the blond said, coughing a couple of times to try and make them notice their presence. 

“Kise”, the green-haired man said pulling up his glasses. Kasamatsu couldn’t help but notice the fingers in his left hand were taped up. The eccentric parade continues apparently.

“Kise-kun, they, who is this with you?, hello I’m Takao and this is Shin-chan, I mean, Midorima”, he corrected.

“This is Kasamatsu-san, he’s a friend of mine”, Kise answered.

“I see, well it’s nice to meet you, we’ll be outside, do you mind putting these in the fridge?”, Takao handed Kise a carton full of beers.

“He must be a very important person to you, Kise, Oha-asa said that today would be a big day for Geminis”, Midorima said and turned to leave, with Takao.

_Was that a rainbow horseshoe he was holding in his hand?_

“I think today is going to be a rather interesting afternoon”, Kasamatsu finally said.

“You have no idea”, Kise finished.

 

 

 


End file.
